Broken Water
by RebeccaWatsonPond
Summary: The Doctor and River have a complicated marriage as it is, so what happens when River brings up the idea of having children?
1. Taking Her Time

"River!" The Doctor called, running about the corridors of the TARDIS. "River, where are you? And will you hurry up?" he heard her shout something in return, but her voice was too distant to make it out. He sighed and walked to the console room. It was River's birthday, and he had a whole night planned. Dinner first, of course, but she knew about that. After that, he had a whole night of surprises lined up for her. The theater, a live concert, a Shakespeare play dedicated to her... He liked to make things special.

"I might be a little while longer!" came a voice from somewhere deep in the TARDIS. "I just found the perfect outfit!" The Doctor sighed and slumped against the main console. That bloody woman, he thought as he stood there, she really knew how to take her time. His mind went back to her last birthday when she had taken three hours trying to choose which shoes went best with what jacket, and he was lost in his memories for a while. Jim the fish, the crash of the Byzantium, The Library... He froze.

The Library.

The first time that he met his wife, but the last time she met him. He closed his eyes, remembering her face as she said goodbye. And remembering her face when he had told her that he didn't know who she was. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes, only now feeling the pain of losing River. No, he told himself, don't do this now. Tonight is going to be a good night. He had only just shaken himself out of this momentary lapse of depression when he heard footsteps from behind him. He looked up and turned to River to make some comment on 'what time she called this', but had to catch his breath when he saw her.

"River. You... You look so -" The Doctor began, staring at his wife from the opposite side of room. He searched for the right word to use. Pretty? No, that sounded stupid. Like a school boy. Beautiful? Better, but it still wasn't enough. Hot? He laughed to himself. As much as River would probably love to hear that, it just wasn't his type of vocabulary. No, there was one word that summed her up perfectly right now. She stood across from him in an elegant black dress that hung close to her body, making her curves that little more perfect. Her hair was wild and untamed as usual, but now it seemed to glow around her pale face, and as The Doctor caught her eye and she winked, he knew what word he was looking for. "Cool!" River laughed.

"Thank you, sweetie," she replied, walking across to him. "You don't look too bad yourself." The Doctor gestured to his own evening wear.

"'Not too bad?' I spent ages choosing this!" he exclaimed. River raised an eyebrow.

"And you still went with the bow-tie?" she asked cynically, straightening it as she spoke. He playfully batted her hand away.

"Will you leave off the bow-tie for one night?" he asked, a slight tone of annoyance in his voice. River's eyes widened and she placed her hands on her hips.

"Will you ever stop wearing it?" she asked.

"No."

"Then no, I won't," she smiled. The Doctor shook his head but returned her smile.

"Come on," he said, holding out his hand. River took it in her own. "We have dinner reservations." She laughed, and tossed her hair off of her shoulders as they walked hand in hand to the door of the TARDIS.

"Yes," River replied as they walked. "We also have a time machine..."


	2. Treating a Girl

It was the year 2200 and the sound of high-spirited chatter mingled with the whooshing of pressure-jet powered waiters and the clinking of glasses in the dining hall of Poosh's one and only restaurant. The Doctor sat across from his wife, watching rather than listening as she told a story about her recent time in Stormcage. His eyes traced her face, taking in the light blush on her cheek, the slight gold hint in the ocean of her eyes and the movement of her delicate mouth as she spoke. Oh, how he loved that woman. Everything about her was just -

"- perfect!" River exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "It really was just brilliant. I mean, I know I'm fairly influential but I really didn't think anyone read my memos!" The Doctor laughed politely, though he had no idea what she was talking about. River raised an eyebrow. "And you weren't listening to a word I just said, were you?" she asked.

Uh-oh. Busted.

"Um... no, not exactly," he admitted, shifting in his seat. River laughed knowingly.

"Careful," she warned, nudging him under their table with a heeled foot. "I do have a gun on me."

"Where?!" he returned involuntarily. River merely smirked and gave him a quick wink. "You are an impossible woman, River Song."

"Yes, I rather like to think I am," she agreed, nodding. "So what are you having?" The Doctor picked up a menu and his face turned sour.

"Oh, I didn't think. It's the 23rd century. Great!" he muttered sarcastically, examining his options. River frowned.

"What's wrong with the 23rd century?" she questioned, opening her own menu. She read the name of a few dishes. "Oh."

"Yes. The 23rd century. The universal age of horrible food!" he sighed. River laughed a little.

"Is that it's official name?" she joked. The Doctor smiled.

"Probably not, but it should be. I mean look at this stuff!" he gestured to one of the mains. "The healthy option is '_cheese oysters and chocolate covered beef sticks served with your choice of side salad_'!" River continued to chuckle.

"May I remind you that you are the one who eats fish fingers with custard?" The Doctor's eyes lit up and he threw down his menu.

"Great idea!" he smiled just as one of the many robotic waiters that were whizzing around the room came to a stop at their table.

"May I take your order, sir-slash-madam?" said a mechanical voice. The covering on the waiter-bot's chest opened up to reveal a touchscreen version of the menu. "Please select your chosen dishes-sides-drinks-desserts."

"Doctor, how are you -" River began, but it all became clear to her when he pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He directed it at the waiter-bot.

"Sorry about this," he mumbled as he tinkered with the hovering robot. When he was finished, the menu consisted of one thing and one thing only. Smiling to himself, he ordered two portions of fish fingers & custard and sat back in his chair as the bot whizzed away. River laughed again and took a drink of her wine. "What?!" The Doctor asked, taking a drink of his own before spitting it out again with a look of disgust on his face.

"Nothing," she replied, shaking her head. "It's just, well, ordering for me? And ordering fish fingers and custard? You sure know how to treat a girl!" The Doctor smiled, not picking up on River's sarcasm, and straightened his bow-tie.

"Thank you," he replied, only causing River to laugh further. He frowned. "Stop it."

"Sorry, sweetie, I know you're trying," she sympathised, placing a hand on his, but it was too late - he was sulking. River rolled her eyes. "Doctor..."

"River..." he murmured, mimicking her. Their eyes met across the table and this time they both laughed. "Oh, by the way..." he said, reaching his spare hand into his jacket. He grasped around for a little while. "Sorry, seem to be having trouble finding it, bigger -"

"- on the inside, yes, I know." River finished, smiling. After a few more moments, The Doctor pulled out a small, A5 sized package wrapped in brown paper.

"Aha!" he exclaimed, straightening the TARDIS blue bow that was wrapped around it. He passed it to his wife. "Happy birthday, River." She took the gift graciously and carefully tugged off the ribbon.

"Nice colour choice," she commented. The Doctor shrugged in an 'I'm good like that' manner and she continued to rip off the paper. On opening, she saw that it was a photo frame. She turned it over in her hands, examining the intricate Gallifreyan pattern that covered the entire border before looking at the photo itself. "Oh, Doctor," she breathed. She ran a finger over the image lovingly and The Doctor swore she was about to cry. But happy tears, he told himself.

"You like it?" he asked, squeezing her hand. She smiled and stood the photo up on on their table.

"Oh, I love it!" she replied, and the two of them sat there for a while until their food came, staring at the photo of a young mother holding her baby. The photo of Amy holding a little, sleeping, Melody Pond.


	3. Like a Child

Three courses and a bottle of wine later, the two sat in deep but nonsensical conversation.

"No, I'm telling you! Even if you painted her luminous pink, the TARDIS would revert to it's usual blue colour."

"But how?! If the chameleon circuit is broken - which, by the way, you can easily fix - then surely she'd just stay whatever colour you painted her?"

"Yes, but I really doubt that a coat of paint would be able to withstand the conditions of the Time Vortex."

"So what you're actually saying is that even if I painted the TARDIS luminous pink, YOU'D change her back. It's got nothing to do with her at all."

"Oh shut up."

"Not a chance."

River stared at The Doctor smugly as he pouted in defeat.

"You're such a child," she remarked jokingly as she drained the final drops of wine from her glass. Over the duration of their meal, the room had emptied and now only three tables remained occupied - River and The Doctor, an elderly couple in the corner and a family of six. The Doctor gestured to the latter.

"I am nothing like a child. They're children." River shifted in her seat to observe them, laughing as the elder siblings plagued the younger ones. She smiled sadly, thinking about how her mother missed that stage. Amy never really got to be a Mum, not really. She sighed, her eyes falling on the picture that still stood on their dining table.

"It's a funny old life, isn't it?" she voiced out loud. The Doctor looked at her.

"Hm? What is?"

"The life of a time traveler," she said. The Doctor nodded.

"You say it like it's a bad thing. But really, it's the best thing there is." River looked up.

"Is it?" she shook her head and looked down again. "It's just... I don't know. Don't you ever think about settling down? Having a normal life? Just for a bit. Not long term. Just... Y'know. Just live."

"Once or twice, I suppose," he replied. "But I can't do it. The whole stay at home thing. I mean, I tried staying with Amy and Rory for a week or so when the whole Shakri happened and I went out of my mind! I need to be busy." River shifted slightly again.

"What if there was someone to keep you busy," she almost whispered as she lifted her wine glass. She flicked her glance towards him, looking up through those impossibly long eyelashes of hers.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked, confused. River laughed involuntarily.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter, stupid idea. I've had fun tonight," she said quickly, trying for change the subject.

"What did you mean?" he repeated. She didn't reply. "River..."

"I just... I don't know, it sounds stupid now. But..." she paused, looked over to the table of six again and took a deep breath. "What if we had children?" She looked back to him, instantly regretting bringing up the subject. The Doctor looked at her, brow furrowed in thought.

"Us? Children?" he laughed shakily. "Blimey. This was unexpected."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," River apologised, standing. She picked up the photo frame and turned to leave. "I'll just go. Sorry. We can speak tomorrow."

"No, River," The Doctor called, reaching out an arm and catching her elbow. She turned back to him, visibly upset. "We should talk about this. If this is something you want to discuss, then... We should talk. Another bottle of wine?" River shook her head.

"No thanks. If we're going to talk, I think I want to be able to remember a conversation like this. It's, well, it's something that's pretty important to me." The Doctor nodded understandingly and River sat back down.

"It's not the first time I've been through something like this, you know," The Doctor told her, but River shook her head again.

"No, I don't want to know. You've been a father before, I get that. And not in the most conventional ways at points," The Doctor nodded as he remembered Jenny - the daughter he'd never had. "But I don't want to talk about that. I want to talk about us, and where you stand on this whole idea. I want kids, Doctor. What about you?" The Doctor looked down at his empty plate and sighed deeply.

What did he want? He didn't know. He'd had kids before, and they'd been fine. Well, up to a certain point. Having children would almost certainly mean finally settling down. He'd have to be responsible for something, and he didn't know how to do that - he was barely responsible enough to look after himself. And if they had a child, what would that be? Time Lord, human, what? Would they be like River, or something new entirely? He looked up at his wife. He loved her, and of that he was certain. But he didn't know whether he could love a child. He'd been through so much over his years... And he just didn't think he could do this. One adventure The Doctor could never have. He took River's hands in his own and met her gaze.

"River," he began, and by then she already knew. He heard her sharp intake of breath and saw the water welling in her eyes and he cursed himself for what he was about to say. "River, I'm sorry. But no."


	4. A Little More Interesting

She breathed in deeply, smiling through her pain and letting out a shaky laugh.

"River, I'm -"

"No, no! It's fine! Really, I understand. I just... I don't know. This was always a possible situation I just never -" she stopped, closed her eyes tight and breathe in deep again, only just holding back tears. "It was stupid anyway. Forget it." She opened her eyes and forced a smile, taking a long drink from her wine glass. The Doctor nodded.

"Okay," he agreed. But how could he? He'd just told the love of his life that she'd never have children. Well, not with him anyway. But there was never going to be anyone else, so not with anyone. He shifted in his seat and took an equally long drink. Had he done the right thing? Probably not. But he couldn't fix it yet. Not right this moment.

River shifted in her own seat, not used to feeling awkward. She'd made a fool of herself and she wasn't happy. She'd exposed her true feelings to The Doctor, and now she had to try and cover up just how broken she felt. No children. But River was like her father had been - she wanted kids. She'd always wanted kids, ever since she was a kid. And now she'd never have them... She stared back at the family of six and smiled sadly. No children. That's fine, she told herself. That's okay, she forced herself to believe. It was better this way. With kids, there'd be no more danger, no more running and no more adventures... Or much more adventure. No, she reminded herself, she couldn't think like that. She couldn't afford to think like that. So she coughed awkwardly and looked up at The Doctor.

"So," River began, sounding more like her usual self. "Are we going to the theatre or not?" The Doctor's eyes lit up, grateful for both the reminder and the change of subject.

"Oh yes! Nearly forgot! How sil- Wait a minute. How did you know about the theatre?" he leant forward, eyes narrowing in suspicion. River shrugged, shifting that marvellous hair of hers slightly and smiled.

"I had a hunch. And you sort of handed me the tickets with my present," she told him, picking them up from under the discarded wrapping paper and waving them at him. He frowned, annoyed that he'd ruined his own surprise.

"That's not fair," he mumbled more to himself than to her and took the tickets from her, smoothing them before stuffing them back in his pocket.

"Good choice of play, though. I heard Crystal Fiasco is quite a scandalous performance!" The Doctor nodded and went into genius-mode, preparing to tell her the entire history of the play.

"The people of Eeditch certainly think so," he replied. "Daring sword fights, singing executioners, a beautiful wedding between the King, the Queen and their mutual mistress..." River laughed, something The Doctor was happy to hear.

"Oh it sounds so elegant and romantic," she joked.

"It has it's moments. There's this part where -"

"Doctor, no, don't ruin it!" she protested, cutting him off. Then they both shared a look and smiled.

"Spoilers," they said simultaneously, and The Doctor laughed slightly. He looked around the room and caught the attention of one of the waiter-bots who proceeded to hover over to the table.

"Does sir-slash-madam require assistance?" It asked politely.

"The bill, please," The Doctor said, rummaging in his pocket for money. As he did so, the waiter-bot's chest panel opened up to reveal a coin and credit card slot. "Oh no," The Doctor exclaimed, rummaging harder.

"What is it?" River questioned, concerned.

"Ah, yes, slight issue..." he leant forward and whispered so the waiter-bot would not register his words. "I seem to have forgotten about money." River's eyes widened.

"Is that a joke? Because if it's a joke, it's not funny."

"It's not funny because it's not a joke. If it was a joke it'd be funny. I seriously didn't factor in this part of the evening!" He sat back in his chair, throwing his arms up in defeat. River sighed and shook her head, but smiled.

"Oh Doctor, Doctor, Doctor..." He looked up at her. "Have you learned nothing from your time with me? You may have all your little sayings and rules like 'rule one: The Doctor lies', but do you know what my motto is?" He shook his head and she leant forward to tell him. "There's no situation you can't flirt your way out of."

"It's a robot!"

"So were you when you were all dressed up in your teselecta suit, but that didn't stop us," she reminded him with a wink and he blushed slightly as she turned to the waiter-bot, pushing the photo of her and her mother over so that it lay face down on the table. "Now then, handsome," she began, "how about we exchange something a little more interesting than money?"


	5. Flattery

"You never cease to amaze me, River!" The Doctor confessed as he pushed open the doors of the TARDIS and sauntered in.

"And I never will," she replied with a smile. That's true, he agreed to himself as he threw off his dinner jacket and pressed a button on the console, but now it was his turn to amaze her. "What are you -" River was about to ask, but in response he flicked another switch and one of the panels on the wall opened up as he sat down. River raised an eyebrow and he gestured for her to join him, producing a bottle of champagne as she did so.

"Your favourite," he promised as he poured a glass.

"This is more like it!" she laughed, taking the drink gratefully and sitting back, kicking off her heels. "So what's with the wall?" she asked. He smiled and placed one arm around her shoulders as he pointed with the other.

"You see that tiny little red dot? Just... There!" She nodded. "Well in about..." he checked his watch. "About two minutes, that little red dot is going to be the most beautiful thing you've ever seen." He took a sip from his own glass as River leaned forward, trying to examine the dot more closely.

"What is it?" she asked, squinting. "I mean, I can't even tell where we are. I've never seen such an empty part of space."

"Give it a second; it won't be empty much longer!" He put his glass down by his feet and returned to looking at his watch as River kept her eye on the sky.

"Doctor, it's not doing any-"

"Shh!" he interrupted. "Five seconds to go! Three, two, one..." Bang on cue, the tiny red dot that had been nearly impossible to spot five minutes ago exploded and the whole sky shone red. Sparks flew out of the initial explosion and exploded themselves, adding splashes of yellows, greens and oranges to the picture. They were like exploding stars, but so much more beautiful. And they sang. As they exploded, each of them let off a sound and the mix of musical notes created such a beautiful song. River gasped and smiled, totally taken in by this masterpiece that was being created in front of her. Blues were being added to the sky now, with shooting star like formations zipping past and weaving through the sky of colour. Her eyes stayed staring up at the sky as The Doctor watched her.

He took in her smile and the way the corners of her mouth creased ever so slightly, and suddenly - completely without his permission - he was imagining the same feature on a little girl. His little girl. A daughter. And he could see her running about the TARDIS with her mother's hair. And there was someone else there - a little boy. He had the curls too, but they were a dark brown and his chin was a little too big for his face. The Doctor smiled at the thought and turned his own gaze to the sky. The explosions were slowing down now but the colours remained, and after a while when it had all calmed down, a magical array of planets and stars lay before them. A brand new corner of the universe.  
"Doctor, that was -" River began, but she was speechless. "What was that?"

"That, River," he began, picking up his drink. "Was the birth of a billion galaxies."

"It was beautiful! It was completely, and utterly beautiful!"

"As are you," he told her and she slapped him playfully on the arm.

"Flattery gets you nowhere."

"Hang on," he protested, "that's the complete opposite of what you said in the restaurant! You can flirt your way out of any situation, but flattery gets you nowhere?"

"Oh, no," she corrected him, "flattery gets _me_ everywhere, dear. You're just rubbish." she laughed as he frowned into his champagne. "Oh come on, my love, it was just a joke." She kissed him on the cheek. "Anyway, we have some singing executioners to go listen to!" she reminded him again as she stood up. "I'm going to go get changed. Cheer up, Mr Grumpy Face."

As River left, The Doctor stood and walked over to the TARDIS console where he rested against it and thought deeply about what he'd just imagined. The little girl and the little boy. Here. In the TARDIS. Kids...

Could he do it?


	6. Bow Ties

She appeared fifteen minutes later, the quickest River had ever changed, in a blur of silver and gold. The metallic dress clung tight to her torso and swirled out around her hips, cascading to the ground in sparkling ribbons of material that twisted elegantly around her legs. The Doctor had to catch his breath and River let out a laugh.

"If that's going to happen every time I change," she told him, pulling her magnificent hair up into a stylish up do, "then you may soon develop breathing problems." She checked her reflection in the shiny surface of the console as The Doctor came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"It'd be worth it," he assured her. She laughed softly in reply, turning and planting a light kiss on his cheek.

"You're sweet to say so, dear," River replied, slipping on a pair of heeled silver sandals. She looked over her shoulder at The Doctor as she did so, watching him pull off his bow tie with unexpected elegance. She let out a small gasp. "You're taking it off?" she exclaimed, clearly excited at the prospect. He looked up, confused.

"Huh, what? Oh! No!" River frowned as he pulled a second one out of his pocket and began to tie it expertly around his neck. The cloth of it caught the light of the TARDIS as he finished it with a flourish and it seemed to emit a metallic gold glow. River raised an eyebrow and The Doctor shrugged. "What? I had to match, didn't I?" River smiled.

"But how did you -"

"Know?" The Doctor finished. "Call it a hunch." River's eyebrows raised to their previous position, portraying her disbelief and she sauntered over to her husband.

"I could," she began, slipping a hand inside his jacket pocket. The Doctor shuddered involuntarily at the intimacy of it all."If 'hunch' was another word for 'I had every single tie I own in here just in case'." She pulled out her hand, bringing with it a rainbow of bow ties and The Doctor blushed.

"How did you -"

"Know?" River finished, mocking him. She lent forward, her breath tickling his ear. "Call it a hunch." The Doctor frowned and she returned to the strap of her sandals. "I appreciate the gesture all the same, sweetie."

"I'm sure you do," he mumbled doubtfully under his breath as he straightened the tie somewhat defensively. River sighed.

"Oh, don't get like this."

"Get like what?" The Doctor replied. He empty the contents of his pockets as he spoke, pulling out yet more bow ties. "I'm not like anything."

"Like that. All mopey and childish." The Doctor froze. There it was . That word. _Childish_. When he didn't reply straight away, River realised what she'd said and a silence built between the two like a wall. He continued to empty his pockets as River cursed herself and flopped down in a chair. She stared at his feet, not trusting herself to make eye contact, and thought back to their conversation in the restaurant.

She had told The Doctor that she didn't want to hear about his past experiences of being a father, and that was true. She couldn't face listening to stories about this man - this perfect, ridiculous man, who was hers and hers alone - bringing up a child that wasn't theirs. River knew this was selfish, and that he'd lived a long life before she'd even entered it, but to River, The Doctor was her life. She'd been brought into the world trained and conditioned to kill him, and then she'd fallen in love with him. Not one beat of her heart wasn't for him; she existed purely because he did. And to think of him loving someone just as she loved him tore her to pieces. So she couldn't sit there and listen to the stories, even if they might have softened the blow of him saying no.

No. What a tiny word that caused such a giant chasm in her aching heart. The child she'd never have tugged at her heart like it was a kite string and she had to swallow hard to control the tears that were threatening to fall. She looked up now and saw The Doctor stood before her, but it wasn't the suited, pocket emptying Doctor. It was a Doctor with messy hair and no bow tie - and not just because she'd told him to get rid. He was sat cross legged on the floor, shirt sleeves rolled up, jacket draped of the console and boots thrown with disregard somewhere behind him. He dangled the strip of bow tie in front of him, where tiny hands grabbed at the end. The hands of a little girl, eyes as wide as saucers on a pale face surrounded by untamed curls. The girl giggled and turned, and she opened her small mouth to speak and -

"River?!" The Doctor's urgent tone broke the dream and River found herself staring at a panicked Doctor, her breathing deep and a damp feeling on her face. She raised a hand to her cheek and felt the wetness of tears and she gulped. "River, are you okay?"

"I - uh," she began, faltering. She coughed lightly to clear her throat and took a deep breath. "Yeah I'm fine. Just... had a moment." She smiled reassuringly and gratefully took The Doctor's outstretched hand to steady herself before standing. She wiped away a final tear and walked with him to the door of the TARDIS.

"Are you sure you're okay? We could, I don't know, stay and talk if you want?" The Doctor offered, but she shook her head.

"Absolutely not. We have a play to go to," she replied. "I'm fine," she told him again as he frowned in concern, though the sound of a soft giggle in her head told her that she couldn't have been further from the truth.


	7. It'd Be Worth It

The play was as good as The Doctor had promised, and as the couple left the venue hand in hand, all thoughts of children had almost left River's mind. Almost.

"That was incredible!" The Doctor exclaimed, beaming at his wife as they walked down a quiet, moonlit street. "I really didn't expect that ending, and I helped write the script!" River laughed.

"What a surprise," she muttered, smiling at The Doctor. "Is there anything you can't do?" He thought for a while, staring at his feet.

"No, I don't think there is. Although, I really am rather rubbish at making cheesecake. Not that I'd want to make cheesecake; who puts cheese in a cake?"

"Who puts fish fingers with custard?" she reminded him for the second time that night and The Doctor frowned.

"Well there's one thing I'm not good at - arguing about bad food." River nodded in agreement as they turned a corner onto an even quieter street.

"So what else do you have in store?" she asked.

"Haven't you worked it out yet?" he replied. "I mean, you knew about the theater..."

"That was an accident!" she cried, and The Doctor laughed.

"I know, I know. Anyway, we're here!" he announced, turning on the spot with his arms outstretched to emphasize their surroundings, though River didn't understand why. They were in the middle of a frankly ordinary street. Last night's rain reflected the dim glow of the street light and the grey stone of the path was dull under their feet. She frowned.

"We're... where?" She didn't want to sound rude, but this was just disappointing.

"Right here. The most perfect place in the universe." He smiled at her, a look of pride spread across his face. She smiled in return, patiently waiting for it to become aware of why this place was so exciting. When after two minutes nothing happened, River broke the silence and tapped The Doctor on the shoulder who was currently scanning the floor closely with his eyes.

"Doctor," she began. He turned to her, the smile still wide. "Nothing's happening..." she whispered. He nodded, still smiling.

"I know!" he replied, taking her hand. River smiled but her eyebrows dropped in confusion.

"I don't understand," she told him.

"Oh, but that's just it. You don't even know." She stared let out a shaky laugh.

"Know what, Doctor?"

"Look around you. This street, this completely ordinary street. The magnificently disappointing weather. The frankly rubbish glow that the street lamp is giving off..." he looked around, releasing River's hand as she looked too. "Yet this is still the most perfect place in the universe. Because I'm here with you." She smiled at him, her face flushing a little. It was so unusual for him to be so sensitive, but River was loving every second of it. She looked down briefly then back up at The Doctor - her Doctor - through her long eyelashes.

"Oh, Doctor," she kissed him lightly on the mouth. "You soppy idiot." The Doctor smiled at her and sided a strand of hair that had become loose from her updo.

"There's something else, too," he told her, taking her hand back in his. He ran forward, dragging River with him, and pulled her around the corner where the TARDIS was standing, emitting it's familiar soft glow. The Doctor let go of River's hand and unlocked the door, but turned to her before entering. "Just, er, wait here a second," he instructed, and River frowned. He smiled quickly at her before sliding through the tiniest crack in the door and closing it behind him.

That was odd, River thought. She sighed and shivered slightly, feeling the cold more now that The Doctor wasn't here to keep her warm with his infectious enthusiasm. She looked down at her feet and wriggled her toes in her sandals, wondering what he was up to. He'd never done this before; he'd never made her wait. She guessed it was another surprise - cake, perhaps. There hadn't been a cake yet and he really did love a birthday cake. She laughed to herself, realising just how childish her really was.

And just how perfect that made him to be a father.

She sighed sadly, picturing him and two children around a cake with birthday hats and streamers all around. The little girl from her previous dream breaths in, ready to blow out the candles as the second child - a younger boy - tugs impatiently at his father's jacket sleeve from his seated position on his lap. River's heart ached for them, and just as the girl blew out, the TARDIS doors swung open and shattered the image like a cracked photo frame.

"Ready?" The Doctor asked, holding out a hand. River took it. "Because I'm not sure I am, but what the hell!"

"For what?" she inquired, but he didn't reply. Instead, he pulled her gently into the TARDIS where he loosened his bow tie and wrapped it around her eyes like a blind fold. "Doctor, what is this all in aid of?" He slid his arm around her waist to direct her.

"You'll see," he promised, helping her down some stairs and through some of the endless corridors of the TARDIS. His fingers rested naturally on her hip as they walked and River's breathing quickened with inexplicable excitement. After a while, they stopped.

"Can I -" River began, lifting a hand to her blindfold, but The Doctor stopped her.

"Not just yet," he told her, reaching out a hand and pushing on the wood of the door they'd stopped in front of. Light shone through the material of the bow tie and River bit her lip.

"Now?" she asked, and in reply The Doctor reached up and unfastened the cloth. River blinked, her eyes adjusting to the light, before realising what she was staring at. She caught her breath.

"Now, River, if you're going to do that every time I change my mind, you may develop breathing difficulties..." he remarked, but she didn't seem to hear him. Instead she walked forward into the room and smiled uncontrollably. The walls were a soft yellow colour and the floor was carpeted, a rarity in the TARDIS. A painting hung on the wall of the Medusa Cascade, and a small, blue diary lay on the floor. She turned and saw shelves on the wall, lined with books that had been missing from her own childhood, and underneath was the cot. A small, wooden cot, with a mobile of metal stars attached.

Her cot.

His cot.

And the cot that held their future.

River turned to her husband who was lent against the door frame, smiling. Tears were falling now, but she didn't care. She ran to him and he took her in her arms. She sobbed lightly against his chest.

"It'd be worth it."


End file.
